AnswerIn Vermont, a middle-class household earns roughly $55,400 to $165,400 per year — bracketing the state median household income of $82,700.
Middle-class range: $55,400 – $165,400 · State median: $82,700
Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-Year Estimates · Pew Research Center methodology (0.67× to 2× median)
Middle Class Income in Vermont (2026)
What it takes to count as middle class in Vermont— anchored to the state's ACS 2024 median household income and the Pew Research Center's 0.67×-to-2× framework. Most populous city: Burlington.
In Vermont, a household is middle class in 2026 if it earns between $55,400 and $165,400 per year, bracketing the state median of $82,700. That is the Pew Research Center's 0.67×-to-2× window applied to US Census Bureau ACS 2024 data — 1.3% above the national median.
Vermont middle-class bounds
Following Pew Research Center methodology, middle-income households earn two-thirds to double the median. For Vermont, that means anywhere from $55,400 on the low end up to $165,400 on the high end. Below $55,400 is classified as lower-income; above $165,400 is upper-income.
Local context: Burlington
Vermont's economy carries the imprint of long-term dairy farming decline, with active farms down from over 11,000 in 1947 to under 600 today, even as remaining operations have grown larger. The IBM campus in Essex Junction, now operated by GlobalFoundries, anchored a modest semiconductor and tech employment base for decades and continues to shape Chittenden County's middle class. Burlington has developed a small but real tech, healthcare, and university cluster around the University of Vermont and UVM Medical Center, generating professional wages well above the state median. Outside Chittenden County, ski-resort tourism in Stowe, Killington, and Stratton supports seasonal hospitality employment, while year-round middle-class wages depend more on healthcare, education, and small manufacturing including Vermont's branded food economy of maple syrup, cheese, and craft beer. Vermont's median age is the second-oldest in the country, creating workforce shortages and rising healthcare-driven middle-class consumption.
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Frequently asked questions
What income is considered middle class in Vermont in 2026?
In Vermont, a household is considered middle class if it earns roughly $55,400 to $165,400 per year, using the Pew Research definition (two-thirds to double the state median household income of $82,700).
How is the middle class defined?
We use the Pew Research Center definition: middle-income households earn between two-thirds (0.67×) and double (2.00×) the relevant median household income.
Is $82,700 a middle-class income in Vermont?
Yes. $82,700 is the ACS 2024 median household income for Vermont, so it sits at the center of this page's $55,400 to $165,400 middle-class range.
Related tools and guides
- What Is Middle Class Income in 2026? — full guidedefinition, methodology, history of the term
- Am I Middle Class? — interactive calculatorplug in your income, household size, state
- Middle Class Income by State — huball 50 states + DC compared
Methodology & data sources
Calculations on this page use published benchmarks from US federal statistical agencies. Percentile breakpoints are interpolated linearly between published cells. Figures are in current-year USD unless noted. Numbers are educational estimates, not personalized financial advice.